


Cue the Anguish

by amfrei



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-26
Updated: 2016-01-26
Packaged: 2018-05-16 10:37:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5825299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amfrei/pseuds/amfrei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cullen's personal assistant reflects on her old flame while trapped under a wooden desk of anguish.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cue the Anguish

Lana hid. Really, she had no other choice but to hide. She was caught off guard when she entered the room at the end of a surprising yet expected affair. Now she was trapped under a large sturdy desk, paralyzed by mental anguish. Part of her knew that she should run for the door and never look back, but unfortunately her mind was at that moment incapable of rational thought.

The woman swallowed back the bile that was rapidly rising in her throat. Lana tried taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, but it didn’t help. Her mind just kept drifting back to the crush she once had for her commander, one she had thought had completely vanished. If this was any other office, any other person, any other situation, Lana could have handled it like a pro. She would not have screwed up from the beginning. But the knowledge of what was happening, and who was involved, brought back all of the feelings she thought the has lost, and with those feelings came doubt and anxiety.

Lana had joined the Inquisition at Skyhold. She was delivering some equipment for the commander’s troops there and just never really left the fortress. Lana was drawn to the commander immediately because of his kind words and alluring voice. The pair did not speak on a daily basis, as she was an intermediary for Cullen and Leliana, but that didn’t stop her from developing a crush on the man. She was well aware that she was not the only one, and the commander was also uncomfortably aware of his growing fan base. Lana worked very hard to hide her feelings so that she could continue to work for the man without making it too awkward for him. Before too long, Josephine assigned Lana to be a personal assistant to Cullen. She helped coordinate training sessions, military correspondence, and reports for the Inquisitor.

Ah, the Inquisitor. Lana was not at all surprised that their charismatic leader had fallen for the handsome and heroic commander. Lana had seen the two exchange subtle yet meaningful glances. They had special walks in the courtyard, and, more than once, Lana had accidentally found a love letter or two mixed in with her own paperwork.

Lana began to let go of her crush when she saw Cullen kiss the Inquisitor high up on the ramparts. Lana was emotionally distraught, but did her best to hide her anguish. A few weeks after that kiss, Lana was assigned to work with one of Leliana’s infiltrators, a man named Graham. The pair were gathering intel for Leliana so that she could plan a mission for the Inquisitor.

Graham was not as gentle or powerful as Cullen, but his sharp tongue and dedication to the cause drew Lana to him. The pair worked for their own separate leaders but were repeatedly assigned to work together. They made for a very effective team. Lana’s frequent work with Leliana’s spies helped her let go of her feelings for the commander.

Lana shook her head to clear it and bring her thoughts back to her current situation. She closed her eyes and prayed frantically. She begged the Maker, Mythal, the Arishok, anyone to rescue her! Lana struggled to keep her voice quiet, but she did not like being trapped underneath that terribly dark desk.

A few loud noises and giggles from above paralyzed her. It was getting worse. Lana was unwilling to hear anything else private between her boss and his lover. She finally summoned enough strength to slowly crawl out from under the desk. She made it out from under the desk and ended up beside it before she froze up again, completely exposed. She begged her mind to return to reason and will her body to move, but she couldn’t.

A shadow fell over her. This was it. Busted. Cullen would surely let her have it. She would be kicked out of Skyhold forever and forced to return to her family’s home in disgrace, with only the stable rats to comfort her.

Instead, the shadow poked her in the side of her head. Then the shadow gently grabbed Lana’s chin and turned it. Both Lana and the shadow smiled. Graham had managed to do the impossible by silently opening the door! He gave her an amused smirk that she tried to ignore.

Lana calmed down considerably, the conflicting thoughts and anguish slowly subsiding now that Graham was here. The pair exchanged a few gestures and looks in a matter of seconds. Graham helped Lana to her feet and out the door, but not before Lana tripped loudly over a suspiciously large pile or random things on the floor besides the large desk.


End file.
